


Running With Blood On Our Knees

by mydetheturk



Category: Tron - All Media Types, Tron: Legacy (2010)
Genre: Ed's a badass when it comes to frisbees of doom, Ed's still a badass, High School AU, M/M, Mario Kart is played, One small, Sam is a sweetheart sometimes, handjobs in a dirty alley, just one chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-30
Updated: 2012-12-03
Packaged: 2017-11-15 08:12:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 5,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/525093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mydetheturk/pseuds/mydetheturk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam's a hacker, Ed's a programmer. Yet despite a few bumps and bruises, they get along fairly well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Holding Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alan is a Genius most of the time.

“Flynn.”

“Junior.”

Neither was willing to break eye contact first by looking away. Fortunately they were saved from the indignity of giving in by Alan’s annoyed, faintly disapproving grumble of “Boys, do I have to get the spray bottle?” Satisfied with their disinclination to get needlessly damp, Alan settled in his chair behind his desk in the office Sam had guilted him into taking. For a moment, he watched the two young men standing on the other side of the desk resolutely not looking at each other. Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose and thought.

An idea came to him. It had worked on Roy and Kevin when Kevin had irritated Roy to no end somehow. Alan just prayed that it would work on these two. “Reintroduce yourselves.” When he received two blank stares, he continued, “Shake hands, tell each other your names. You’re meeting each other for the first time, make the most of it.”

Both of them sighed and turned toward each other, extending their hands.

“Hi, I’m Sam Flynn.”

“I’m Edward Dillinger, Jr.”

The fact that the handshake lasted a short while longer than it normally would have didn’t get past Alan at all.


	2. Cuddling Somewhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes Ed gets migraines. He's also Captain Narcolepsy.

Sam noticed that whenever Ed didn’t actually have a project to work on or a program to tweak, he had a habit of turning into Captain Narcolepsy. It didn’t matter what time of day, if Ed somehow had a spare, slightly large chunk of time, he’d hole up under his desk and nap. Or more likely Sam’s desk. Sam’s office was much quieter and slightly more remote than Ed’s, and Sam was honestly not in there as much as he should be, so Ed had taken up the habit of hiding under the desk where it was dark.

That day, Sam was fairly certain that Ed had a migraine or something, because he’d migrated from his office to Sam’s by nine-thirty and at eleven, it didn’t look like he was moving any time soon. Content with the warmth of Ed’s body around his lower legs, Sam worked, occasionally looking under the desk at the pained programmer. Finally, he shot off an email to everyone important that he was hiding.

“Hey, Ed, let me go, I’ve gotta go shut off the lights.” There was a soft grumble from somewhere under the desk, and Sam’s legs were let go of, the warmth receding. Smiling, Sam scooted back, standing to turn out the lights in his office. He could hide under his desk with his friend for a few hours. 


	3. Gaming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mario Kart. That is All.

“Boo you whore!”

“Sam!”

“Not you, I’m talking to the road. The road is a whore.”

“I suppose you’re excited that Quorra’s out with Alan’s wife then, aren’t you?”

“Her name’s Lora and yes. It means I get to kick your ass in Mario Kart.”

“You are  _on._ ”

—

“Sam, Ed, I’m back from my trip with Lora, you won’t believe… Are you two okay?” Quorra stood at the door, pale eyes taking in the minor disaster areastack of storage units that she shared with Sam. She looked around, blinking at the fact that Sam’s hoodie was tossed over a lamp alongside Ed’s vest and she would swear that she saw a shoe near the copy of  _Snow Crash_  Sam always had lying about somewhere. “Sam?” Quorra said, looking about to find him. She found Sam lying on his couch with Ed on top of him, both of them missing their shirts, Wii remotes hanging from their hands. She saw that Sam was asleep, Ed nearly so. When Ed gave her a sleepy wave, Quorra waved back, smiling as she walked over to pick up her copy of  _Old Man’s War_ , settling down to read.

It was a few moments later when Ed broke the silence by saying, “We were playing Mario Kart. Sam had the brilliant idea to have whoever lost the race take off an article of clothing. This is all his fault.” Quorra laughed – that sounded  _exactly_  like something Sam would suggest. “Then the remote died and we couldn’t find batteries. Sam gave up and well… here we are.” Ed shrugged, settling back down on Sam.

Smiling down at her book, Quorra made a mental note to tell Alan he owed his friend Roy five dollars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have in fact said the "I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to the road. The road is a whore." line before. I was playing Mario Kart.


	4. On A Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This isn't a date.

“This isn’t a date,  _darling_ ,” Ed snarled, shoving Sam into the wall of the dirty alley they were in. 

“What gave you the impression that it  _was_ , you fucking hipster?” Sam growled back, reaching behind and running his hands under Ed’s shirt to claw at his back. He hissed at the contact, deciding to remove Sam’s smirk by biting the side of his neck. Ed grinned at the sound Sam made, a half whine Ed was  _positive_  wasn’t voluntary. Nibbling and teasing at the spot half a moment longer, Ed bit and licked his way up Sam’s neck, taking pleasure in drawing soft sounds from Sam.

Palming Sam through his jeans, Ed silenced his groan with a kiss that was more of a bite than anything. Sam dug his short nails into Ed’s shoulders in response, hooking one leg behind Ed’s, pulling him closer. Ed responded by grinding against Sam, drawing out a positively obscene moan and rewarding Sam with a slide of his fingers under the ridiculous hoodie Sam always wore. Sam gasped, trying to pull away but backing himself against the wall more instead.

“ _Smart_  move, Sammy darling,” Ed purred, deliberately leaning into Sam and trapping him against the wall. He ground his hips against Sam’s again, slower this time, sucking on his bottom lip at the same time. Sam involuntarily bucked against him, making Ed smirk and slide his fingers under the tops of his jeans.

“Damn it Edward, I’m gonna – nnngh.” Sam huffed out a groan, panting slightly.

“Going to do what, darling?” Ed drawled, lazily removing his hand to undo Sam’s jeans and push them down.

“Murder you. Later,” Sam groaned, leaning against the wall, bracing himself when Ed eased him out of his boxers, sliding his long fingers against his cock. Ed just smirked again, leaning in once more to bite at Sam’s neck, murmuring codes in between the bites and scrapes against the sensitive flesh. Between the glide of Ed’s hand and the biting, Sam wasn’t going to last long. He bit his lip as Ed gave an experimental flick of his wrist, languidly pumping him. Sam whimpered, trying to stop himself from bucking against Ed’s hand.

“Careful darling,” Ed purred, warm breath tickling Sam’s hair and lips grazing his ear. “We don’t want you coming too soon, now do we?” The rough edge to Ed’s voice caused Sam to shiver. Giving Sam a few rougher strokes, Ed bit his way down Sam’s jawline, kissing Sam hard. Sam moaned into Ed’s mouth, hips bucking. This time, Ed let him. Ed teased and bit, sucking at Sam’s tongue, toying with him, swallowing his cries. Picking up the tempo a bit, Ed leaned into Sam, kissing him harshly and bracing them both against the wall.

“E-Edward,” Sam whined. Ed hummed in response, smirking because he knew exactly what was happening soon.

“Come for me darling, let’s see you,” Ed said, teasing Sam a second longer before Sam came. He gave a handful of pulls, finishing Sam before bringing his hand to lips and licking it.

Sam panted, looking up at Ed through his eyelashes. “What about you?” he whispered.

The smirk Ed gave him would forever be Sam’s undoing. “Well, like you said, this isn’t a date. We have all night, darling. I fully intend to play with you more.”

That was when Sam knew he was well and truly _fucked_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read through all of that, I love you so much. I don't write porn and I'm not the greatest at it. But this one came out of nowhere.


	5. Kissing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam has a catalogue of how Ed kisses him.

Sam kept a mental catalogue of how Ed kissed. Soft and slightly teasing after a good day, hard and bruising when Ed had dealt with people he couldn’t stand. A gentle good morning/hello just after waking up, provided he stayed the night (which he did more often than not). Smug, cocksure, and confident when he’d done something incredible.

Yes, Ed had a million and one different ways to kiss Sam, but Sam’s favorite was the one Ed gave him when Sam showed him the Grid. It tasted like love, like awe, like a “thank you,” all combined and sprinkled with happy-joy and splashed with hope. Sam would never forget it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a day late and I'm sorry.


	6. Wearing Each Other's Clothes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes Ed spaces out. While walking.

“Hey, get out of those wet things and throw them in the dryer. I’ll lend you some of my clothes,” Sam called from the general location of where his dresser was. Ed didn’t care – he was dripping wet, cold, and wanted nothing more than a hot shower. He walked toward the shower, stripping as he went, dropping his clothes on the floor. Still in his boxers when he arrived at the bathroom, Ed simply turned on the water and stepped in. He huddled down on the floor, sitting in the spray and soaking up the warmth. Ed was so unfocused that he didn’t register the sound of the door opening until Sam sat beside him and pulled him into his arms. “What possessed you to go for a walk in the rain, darling?” Sam sat against the wall, legs splayed and gently tugged Ed between them.

“Wasn’t raining when I started walking,” Ed murmured, leaning back into Sam. Sam just sighed and wrapped his arms around Ed’s torso, pressing his forehead against Ed’s shoulder.

“You know, sometimes I’m glad you’re pretty.” Ed hummed in response, slowly warming back up. They sat under the spray for a while, waiting for Ed to stop shivering. When he finally stopped, Sam stood and shut the water off, tugging Ed to his feet. “Let’s get you in something dry, yeah?” Sam said, guiding Ed out of the shower and into his room.

It took some doing, but Sam managed to convince Ed to remove his soaked boxers so that he could put on a pair of dry ones Sam had picked out. Sam dressed Ed in a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt that was actually clean before making him sit on the bed. “Just shut off that beautiful mind of yours and get some rest, yeah?”

“Alright.”


	7. Cosplaying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam is a complete and utter nerd.

Ed stopped where he was, took off his glasses, cleaned them, and put them back on, not quite believing his eyes. “Sam… what are you doing? No, let me rephrase that. What are you _wearing?_ ”

“Clothes.”

Ed grumbled before continuing, “Alright, smartass, care to clarify?” Sam simply reached down to the coffee table beside him and picked up a worn, beat up paperback. “Why am I not surprised? Really? I mean, I know you live in a bunch of stacked storage containers, but _really?_ Swords?”

“What can I say? I’m the protagonist of my story and that’s that.” Sam grinned at Ed’s groan.

“That Grid of yours is the Metaverse, isn’t it? And let me guess, Quorra’s YT? What does that make me?” Ed’s face held his ever prominent displeased look as he took in Sam’s full outfit. “Do I _want_ to know where you got the katanas?”

“No, you don’t want to know, and you’d be Juanita, my darling.” Taking Ed’s hand in his own, Sam kissed his knuckles, smiling despite the scowl and growl. “I can show you the magic that is the Grid. And I don’t even need a virus that wipes your mind to do it either. What do you say, beautiful?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still trying to find myself a copy of _Snow Crash_ and I totally want to dress up as Y.T.


	8. Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam hates shopping, especially around the holidays.

Normally Sam hated shopping, especially during the holidays. He was only in the Books-a-Million because of Quorra anyway. She’d blown through Scalzi and had knocked out most of his copies of the Discworld novels. He was gliding from Asimov to Clark when he saw it. A paperback that he was certain he’d seen before, only beat up and worn instead of shiny and new. He picked it up, examining it, flipping it, turning it, before determining that it wasn’t supposed to be in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section. He held it in his hands, not quite willing to part with the book, sticking it in the small basket he’d nicked from the entrance in preparation for the books he knew he would probably be getting. Pausing at Bradbury, Sam spotted _A Graveyard for Lunatics_ and snatched it. He’d let his out to Lora and had never gotten it back, which was fine, he’d been meaning to get another copy anyway. Snagging a second copy for Quorra, he stared at the shelf. Something wasn’t quite right. Scanning the shelf again, dragging his finger along the titles, he hit a dip between _Fahrenheit 451_ and _Something Wicked This Way Comes_. There was a slim novel there, and Sam plucked it from its resting place. “Well now, that’s not your spot,” Sam said. “Come on little fella, let’s get you back with the rest of your herd, shall we?” Cradling the slim book, he stepped over to its author’s shelf, making a spot for it amongst the other copies. Smiling to himself, he finished perusing the shelves, occasionally snagging a book for either himself or Quorra.

The novel, so out of place among his Sci-Fi greats, earned him a look from the cashier. Sam just shrugged, tucking the book in the bag with the others.

~~

A few days later, Sam found the book again, cradled in the hands of Ed Dillinger, a soft smile on his face. “I didn’t know you liked _The Princess Bride_ enough to read the book,” he said, turning the smile on Sam.

“I don’t. It just seemed right to get it,” Sam said, shrugging.

Ed kept smiling. “Try it. It’s a good book. My dad read it to me a lot when I was a kid.” Sam looked at Ed with a slightly confused look on his face. His dad read to him when he was a kid? That was kind of interesting. Ed broke Sam’s musing by taking one of Sam’s hands in his and gently placing the book in it. “You’ll like it.” Sam just nodded, hand warmed by Ed’s slightly larger ones. Ed winks, brushing lightly calloused fingertips across and around Sam’s wrist. Sam just swallowed, a deer-in-headlights expression across his face. “I’ll see you later, hmm?”

“Y-yeah.” Slowly, Ed’s smile became a smirk.

“Good.” With that, Ed dropped Sam’s hand, turning around and leaving, clicking the door closed behind him.

Gaping, Sam breathed heavily for a few moments. “What… the _fuck_ was that?!”

Nothing answered him.


	9. Hanging Out With Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For some reason, Ed is actually pretty good with a frisbee of death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ultimate Frisbee is fun. That is all.

Fact: Ed played Ultimate Frisbee when he was younger, which Sam didn’t know.

Fact: Apparently, he was also the captain of his team, which was news to Sam.

Fact: Nowhere in the rules is it illegal to bounce the Frisbee off of other players. Again, news to Sam.

The conclusion Sam came up with: Ed had a slightly unfair advantage to his first Disc Wars match.

“He’s doing much better than you did,” Rinzler remarked. Sam just scowled and made an unamused noise in return. Rinzler smirked, not commenting on the fact that Tron pinned Ed much the same way Rinzler had Sam the first time they fought. Tron let Ed up, grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet. Sam twitched slightly when he saw the smile Ed gave Tron and Tron’s grin in return. Noticing, Rinzler gave an amused rumble, patting Sam on the shoulder and stepping over to his counterpart.

While the two security programs had a short conversation that mainly involved gestures, cut off amused noises, and pointed looks. But Sam was too busy watching Ed walk over to him with a giant grin on his face and the fact that he was panting slightly was enough to bother Sam. The light flush on his cheeks from exertion only called attention to his cheekbones and his eyes. Sam wasn’t _entirely_ certain where the urge to tackle Ed and kiss him senseless came from, but he didn’t argue with it.


	10. With Animal Ears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam found them on his doorstep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kitty!

They’d been on his front steps, the pair of them. A big grey tom cat and a kitten that looked just like the tom. Sam brought them in, cleaned them up, named them Junior and Senior because he thought the big tom cat was the kitten’s father. Granted, Sam didn’t know much about cats, but it made sense to him. Senior and his dog Marv tolerated each other while Junior was scared of the little dog. Neither cat had really liked his father, but they’d both taken to Alan when he stopped by to drop off cat food and kitten milk. Quorra went past his storage unit and came in, showering all of them with love, being the cool sister to Sam that she was.

It took time, but the three animals set their boundaries, like where Junior slept on the extra pillow by Sam’s head, Senior usually taking a warm spot well up from the ground and Marv sleeping at Sam’s feet. Junior ended up being a lanky cat, getting his markings from Senior but Sam guessed he was built more like his mother.

It doesn’t take long before Sam is used to being swarmed when he gets home, two felines twirling around his ankles and a single canine jumping up and down wanting attention.

It was a life. And it was his.


	11. Wearing kigurumis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam's sitting in the school's locker room when Ed walks in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed it to wearing a mascot outfit because of reasons.  
> Also, it's a High school AU because I can and I couldn't think of anything else.  
> Little things of note:  
>  Quorra is one of Alan and Lora's kids - the others being her older twin brothers, Tron and Rinzler. Sam lives with them because Kevin is still missing and Sam's mom is still dead. Sam, Quorra, Ed, and the kids from Uprising are all aged about their senior year or so. Ed's an only child with Dillinger Senior being a single father.   
> I think that's everything.

Sam sat in the locker room, glowering at the head in his hands. Of _course_ his high school didn’t have football or soccer or any normal sports. His school had lacrosse and – and this was seriously bizarre, because most schools didn’t even _have_ this – Ultimate Frisbee. Sam wasn’t that great at Frisbee and he didn’t particularly enjoy lacrosse so yeah, he didn’t have much to do. So out of sheer boredom, he tried out for the mascot position and had gotten it. His best friend Quorra Bradley had laughed at him about it for a while but she did agree that it was kind of cool. So Sam out-shone cheerleaders and got to stare at the guys on the Frisbee team. Some were pretty decent at it, like Beck, and some, okay, pretty much just Bodhi, weren’t as good but were still trying anyway.

And then there was Ed Dillinger. He’d transferred to Sam’s school at the beginning of eighth grade and about a month in they found out he was _damn_ good at Frisbee. It was during PE one day, and Beck had thrown the Frisbee badly and Ed snatched it from its trajectory toward Mara’s head and whipped it back, Beck just barely catching it.

Sam smiled at the memory, having stared at both Ed’s “I don’t give a fuck” look and Beck’s startled expression. The amazing part was the fact that he was very, very good, almost to the level Quorra’s older brothers were.

Now, four years after the fact, Ed was the captain of the Ultimate Frisbee team and Sam had the biggest crush on him.

Cradling the mascot head in his hands, Sam looked up when he heard the door creak open and watched Ed limp into the locker room. Sam stared as Ed walked passed him and stripped, dropping his shirt on the floor by his locker and leaning against it, a grimace on his face and one leg cocked so that he’s not putting weight on it.

It was a few minutes later that Sam broke the silence by saying, “Are you alright?”

Ed just grunted and turned around, sliding down against the lockers and growling, “Does it look like it?” Sam grimaced. From that angle, he could actually _see_ the bruising that was forming around Ed’s knee, and just looking at it, Sam knew something was messed up. “Landed badly when I fell earlier,” Ed continued, touching it lightly. “If you’d like to get out of that, I’d appreciate a hand.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure, gimme a minute,” Sam said, dropping the mask and taking off the gloves, contorting his body to catch the zipper in the back and get the suit off. Two minutes later, he slid out of it, shaking himself and standing, opening his locker behind him and snatching an ace bandage. “You’re gonna want this looked at, Rinzler messed up his knee a few years ago and it kind of looked like this,” Sam rambled, crouching around Ed’s leg and gently touching it. Ed hissed and tried to move his leg, but Sam placed a hand on him, muttering, “and hold still, I don’t wanna mess up your knee any more than it already is.”

Ed gritted his teeth and nodded, slowly extending his bad knee so that Sam had better access to it. Delicately, Sam wrapped the knee, being careful not to jostle it more. “So…” Sam began, “are you okay to drive or do you want me to take you home?” Ed just quirked an eyebrow at Sam from under his fringe of hair and Sam chuckled in return. “You’re right; I don’t think you could actually walk out to your car without hurting yourself even more.”

Ed snorted. “Just give me a hand, Flynn. I just want to get home and take some painkillers and go to sleep. I won’t be playing for a week as-is.” Sam felt something like sympathy – closer to pity really – burble in his chest and so he stood, extending a hand to help Ed to his feet – foot – and slung an arm around the other student’s waist, placing Ed’s arm around his shoulders. Together, they limped the Bradley’s car (Sam’s motorcycle was in the shop, something was wrong with the engine and Sam couldn’t figure it out), and Sam helped Ed fall into the passenger’s seat. The ride back to Ed’s house was silent but comfortable, and when Sam got home, Quorra asked him what he was smiling about.


	12. Making Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Better known as: Sam's a bit of a possessive bastard, but that's okay.

“Sam, if you’re so sick of watching Ed, why don’t you go _do something_?” Quorra asked, focusing her eyes on her brooding friend.

“Q, he’s shooting down everyone that approaches him, what makes you think he’ll change his mind for me?” Sam retorted, swirling his glass before taking a sip. Quorra smiled, giving Sam a little push. “Fine, fine, I’m going.”

“Go get him, tiger!” Quorra called. “Good luck!”

~~

Sam made his way across the room, passing through the crowd, his eyes on Ed. He got to Ed just as the programmer was shooting down yet another person. Placing his hand on Ed’s shoulder, Sam turned him around, receiving a mute frown and a cocked eyebrow in return. They stared at each other for a moment before Sam growled, “Mine,” pulling Ed to him and claiming his lips.

Feeling Ed smirk and both of his hands slide into his back pockets; Sam felt/heard a rumbled, “About time.” From somewhere in the background, Quorra cheered, but Sam _really_ didn’t care. 


	13. Eating Ice Cream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam's on a chick flick kick, so sue him.

“Sam, why are you watching _The Notebook?_ ” Ed asked, taking in the sight of Sam sitting on his couch surrounded by tissues with a tub of ice cream in his lap.

“I’m on a chick-flick kick, okay? I watched _PS: I Love You_ earlier. I needed the ice cream,” Sam replied, stabbing his spoon into the tub and taking a bite. He grumbled, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand.

“Sam, my favorite movie is _The Princess Bride_ ,” Ed stated, sitting on the couch. “If we’re going to watch together, you’re going to share.” Sam stared as Ed plucked the ice cream from him and take a bite.

“Right. Well. Back to the movie, I guess.”


	14. Gender Swapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Better known as: Edith Dillinger has a nasty temper and isn't afraid to show it.

“Just because I’m seemingly defenseless doesn’t mean I actually _am_ ,” Edith growled, staring at Sam with a determined expression on her face and murder in her eyes.

Sam held her hands up, trying to placate the smaller woman. “I didn’t mean to imply that. Sorry.” Sam kept forgetting that she’d _seen_ Edith fight before, in the bar a couple of weeks previous. Lanky though she was, and slightly on the shorter side, Edit had a nasty backhand and was one of the dirtiest fighters Sam had seen. (Sam ran into one of the guys Edith had put to the floor. It was a week after and his eye was still swollen and the scratches down his arm still looked raw.) “Look, if you’re going to try, at least let me back you up?”

“Fine.” Edith didn’t look as angry, but she still looked irritated, keyed up and ready to injure. She stalked off, Sam following her.

Sam didn’t know what pissed off the normally placid programmer, but she knew she was going to have to be there to control the aftermath of her rage.


	15. In A Different Clothing Style

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam owes Ed for this. Big time.

“Ed, I need you to do me a massive favor,” Sam said, bursting into Ed’s office.  
Ed continued working on his project. “No.”

Sam stared in offended shock. “I would owe you. For ages.”

“Sam, it’s not that I don’t care – because we both know I don’t – it’s that I’m busy and I don’t have time for your games.” Ed finally looked up. “Look, Sam, Can we do this later? When we’re not at work?” Looking back down, Ed continued his work.

“There’s a blow job in it for you if you do this for me,” Sam threw on the table. Ed paused, glancing up.

“Oh? And what has you offering me a blow job?” Ed asked, sitting up straight and steepling his fingers.

“I need you to wear an outfit for me.”

Ed narrowed his eyes. “What kind?”

Sam grinned. “You’ll see.”

~~

“Sam, you owe me a blow job _and_ dinner for this,” Ed threatened.

“Sure, not a problem.” Sam smiled. His plot to get Ed into something other than his usual hipster clothing worked. Sam had somehow managed to get Ed into a pair of jeans and a tight, beat up t-shirt. What really made the outfit for Sam was the fact that Ed wasn’t even _trying_ to get out of the leather jacket Sam made him wear.


	16. Morning Rituals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Schmoopy fluff in the mornings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know, I'm on a cuddle kick.

“Morning Sam,” Ed greeted. He tucked his nose in the crook of Sam’s neck, smiling.

“Hey,” Sam replied, rubbing his cheek against Ed’s temple.

“You know we have to get up at some point,” Ed mumbled. Sam hummed in return. Ed’s smile widened, nuzzling the crook of Sam’s neck. “I’d rather we didn’t have to though.” Ed nipped Sam’s neck lightly, chuckling at Sam’s half-hearted shove. The two cuddled for a few moments, mostly until Sam’s phone vibrated with a message from Alan. They had to head to work, so Sam rolled out of the bed, Ed sitting up and stretching. Sam grinned at the bite marks scattered across Ed’s back. Frowning slightly at one, Sam stepped over and touched it, running his fingers across the mark.

Ed shivered; Sam’s touch a combination of sensual and tickling. “Hey, cut it out,” Ed growled, turning his back away from Sam. “Keep that up and I’ll be forced to press you against these sheets and have my way with you.”

“I’m sensing a ‘but’ on the end of that sentence and I don’t like it,” Sam replied, standing back up and walking over to his dresser.

“But if I do ravish you, we’d be later than we already are and remember what happened last time?” Ed countered, twisting about to crack his back before he stood to find a pair of pants from one of the more recent nights he’d stayed over. Sam grimaced, recalling the last time they were late together.

“Yeah, no. Not again.” That day had been one disaster after another.

“I thought you would agree.” Grabbing a pair of pants and a shirt from the pile that he’d determined was his, Ed slid them both on, scrunching his nose lightly at the sheer number of wrinkles in the shirt, but he could deal with it for a day.

Heading to the small kitchen area, Sam dropped a couple of pieces of bread into his toaster. “Today’s going to be a good day, Ed. I know it.”


	17. Spooning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something wakes Ed in the middle of the night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still on a cuddle kick

Ed blinked awake, sensing something wrong. Sam was still asleep in front of him and Ed sat up slightly to see Marv curled up in his dog bed. Putting his weight on one arm, Ed almost fell on top of Sam when it gave out on him, though he caught himself before he managed to land on Sam. Ed smiled at his sleeping programmer, though his smile slipped when he saw the dark circles under Sam’s eyes. Fully frowning, Ed used his half-numb arm to stroke Sam’s hair, petting the soft bristles tickling his palm. Sam shook a little and scooted closer to Ed, a soft noise coming from his slack lips.

“Stay asleep handsome,” Ed murmured, lying back down on his side, settling an arm on Sam’s waist. Sam let out a sleepy mumble and shifted closer to Ed. Smiling, Ed kissed the back of Sam’s neck before going back to sleep himself.


	18. Doing Something Together - Dancing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Samantha was the best partner Edward had ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Genderbent!Sam for this one, and I blame everyone I know who ballroom dances. Curse them.

“Samantha, you need to breath.” Sam just nodded, panting. Edward handed her a bottle of water, and she took a couple of swallows before dumping some on her head. “Samantha…” Edward warned, sitting beside her and placing his arm around her shoulder. “Hey, breathe. We can do this.”

“So you say,” Sam said, staring at Edward.

“I don’t say so, Sam, I know so,” Edward countered, tipping her head to face him. “You are beautiful, you are fantastic, and you have _talent_. That’s a lot more than most of the partners I’ve had.” Sam just sniffled in return, flinging her arms around Edward’s neck and letting about a sob against his shoulder. “Sam? Sam please, don’t… don’t cry,” Edward tried, awkwardly patting her back.

~~

_“Dancing the Argentine Tango, Samantha and Edward.”_

Music filled the air, a haunting mix of strings and piano. A spotlight opened up on a woman in the top corner of the dance floor, a woman in a red dress by a red light. A second spotlight focused on a man in the opposite corner, a man in a dark suit. As the music continued, the man stepped over to the woman, taking her hand in his as the words trailed in.

_Roxanne,_  
 _You don’t have to put on that red light_  
 _Walk the streets for money  
_ _You don’t care if it’s wrong or if it is right._

Edward collected Sam, leading her down the stairs and away from the light. She gave him a look of disdain, spinning out and away, moving to the music away from Edward.

_His eyes upon your face_  
 _His hand upon your hand_  
 _His lips caress your skin  
_ _It’s more than I can stand_

Moving close to Sam again, Edward collected her, pulling her toward him and moving around the floor. He spun the two of them in a tight circle, dipping her and bringing her to him again. They kept dancing, movements sharp and fierce, yet delicate and frail at the same time.

The song ended with Edward on his hands and knees in the bottom of the dance floor and Sam back at her red light.

Everyone loved it.


	19. In Formal Wear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a company meeting with various shareholders. Sam is distinctly uncomfortable with his clothing.

“Sam, stop it,” Ed growled, swatting Sam’s hand. Sam had been his tie, not particularly thrilled to be wearing a suit.

“I don’t get how you can wear this kind of thing all the time. How do you _breathe?_ ” Sam finally loosened the tie enough so that he could breathe freely, huffing unhappily when Ed tightened it again.

“I’m used to it. Besides… you look… delicious like this,” Ed purred, running his hands down the front of Sam’s jacket. Sam caught the appreciative glint to Ed’s eyes, spotting Ed’s unconscious lick of his lips.

“You are not allowed to do anything while we’re in public, _do you hear me?_ ” Sam stated, gripping Ed’s wrists.

Ed let a smirk roll across his lips as he slid his wrists from Sam’s grip to hold Sam’s hands in his. “That’s not what you said last time, Sam,” Ed replied, kissing Sam’s knuckles.

“That does not apply this time, you bastard,” Sam hissed, snatching his hands away.

Ed chuckled in answer and patted Sam’s cheek with a hand. “Whatever you say darling. Now go play nice with the shareholders, I’ll be hiding in the corner away from everyone else.” Sam frowned, so Ed continued, “And darling, if you manage to be a good boy all evening, there’ll be a little… something in it for you after.” Sam flushed lightly from the heated look Ed gave him, swallowing thickly and watching Ed walk away.

How was he supposed to manage the evening – with people he despised, no less – when Ed had laid a promise like that over him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sam has to deal with an awkward boner for the rest of the night and I find this hysterical.


	20. Dancing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A pair of programs have a conversation...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure I like how this chapter turned out, but I don't care any more.

“Echo, you’re honestly going to keep dancing about the subject with him?”

“What other choice do I _have_ , Ram? He’s a security program, I’m nothing more than a hacker,” Echo said. He ran his hands through his hair, perching them on the back of his head and smacking his forehead against the wall.

“Hey, cut it with the ‘nothing more than a hacker’ bit. You’re a well-trained infiltration program. I wouldn’t train just any program.” Ram’s words were calm, and he tapped the table for emphasis.

“Ram…,” Echo began, though he wasn’t able to complete his thought.

“No, listen to me. You’re going to do as your User wants, and then you’re going to talk to your Security program and you are going to go have a drink or two with him.”

Echo stared at his mentor for several picocycles in something akin to astonishment and shock. “You’re serious. You’re completely serious? Are you _glitched?_ ” Echo asked in horror.

“Well, it’s entirely possible. I have been re-rezzed, so… it’s pretty likely.” Ram shrugged, nonchalance spread though his movement.

“Glitched, completely glitched,” Echo repeated, dropping into the seat across from Ram and placing his head in his arms. “Why him? Why?”

Ram just smiled sadly and ruffled Echo’s hair. “It’s programming. Infiltration programs like us like to know about what can potentially hurt us or derezz us. We find – or at the very least _I_ find Security programs fun. Sometimes, anyway.” Ram shrugged again. “We’re programmed with a need to threat assess how likely they’re going to derezz us.” Smiling, Ram continued, “Doesn’t always work.” He stared at the backs of his hands, taking in the faded circuitry. Echo stared as well, not knowing the full story behind the injury, only that some Security program had taken exception tor Ram’s presence.

“Ram… It won’t happen to me. Okay?” Echo said, putting his hands on Ram’s.

“Okay. I’ll believe you.” Ram nodded once. “Go do your task; I’ll be waiting here with energy for you.” Echo snorted and stood. “And don’t forget to talk to that Security program of yours - quit dancing around each other, and do something.” Echo gave a half salute as he walked out the door to go to the nearest I/O tower to find out what sam_flynn wanted him to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Echo: Sam's program, the one he used to hack Encom with  
> Ram: that should be obvious  
> the program they're talking about is a security program that Ed wrote specifically for Encom


End file.
